Diner's Journal

By BRYAN MILLER

Published: September 13, 1991

Swedish Venture

The owners of Aquavit, the Scandinavian restaurant at 13 West 54th Street in Manhattan, plan a new venture called Snaps (pronounced snopps, it is Swedish slang for aquavit) in a former Goldome bank at 230 Park Avenue, at 46th Street, in Manhattan.

Hakan Swahn, a principal owner along with SSRS, a Swedish hotel company, said the emphasis would be on Scandinavian food, but with exceptions. "We have decided to give ourselves some flexibility and may even serve a steak or a pasta on occasion," Mr. Swahn said. He added that Snaps was expected to open around the end of the year. The Changing Scene

NEW CHEFS: Andrew Pappas, the executive chef of the Post House in Manhattan since 1985, is now the executive chef at the Regency Hotel's restaurant, 540 Park. His replacement at the Post House is Robert Mignola, a former sous-chef there. . . . The Polo in the Westbury Hotel in Manhattan has a new chef: Grant Langdon Brown, formerly of the St. Clair Inn in St. Clair, Mich. Stefan Simkovics, the Westbury's general manager, said the Polo would feature American cuisine in a more casual atmosphere, at moderate prices.

OPENING: Lespinasse, the restaurant in the St. Regis Hotel, 2 East 55th Street, Manhattan. The chef, Gray Kunz, was the chef at Adrienne in the Peninsula Hotel.